Helvidius
Well-known member
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- Jul 18, 2010
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After receiving a technical foul during Tuesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, Bryant stormed to the bench, hit his seat before sitting down, threw a towel and then yelled "Bennie!" toward referee Bernie Adams. Bryant then leaned back and muttered a gay slur.
The team has the right to fine him, and them exercising that right does not bother me. His actions affect the image of the team itself. They no doubt have the legitimate objective of portraying themselves as a professional team composed of respectful athletes who conduct themselves in a sportsman-like manner.
Thank you. Fortunately, that doesn't change my opinion.Just a little clarification, it was the League that fined him, not the Lakers team organization.
Thank you. Fortunately, that doesn't change my opinion.
If I were the NBA, I would be more upset with TNT for putting the camera on a grown man who is clearly angry. Did they really think he wouldn't be doing some cursing? I don't think this is a big deal. I call my friends queer all the time and I have friends who are gay that do the same. All about context...
PS: I am a Celtics fan so it is rare for me to defend Kobe...
I agree. The NBA markets a particular product, it does have professional standards to uphold and a public image to craft, and unsportsmanlike conduct should be penalized.
If I were the NBA, I would be more upset with TNT for putting the camera on a grown man who is clearly angry. Did they really think he wouldn't be doing some cursing? I don't think this is a big deal. I call my friends queer all the time and I have friends who are gay that do the same. All about context...
PS: I am a Celtics fan so it is rare for me to defend Kobe...
If I were the NBA, I would be more upset with TNT for putting the camera on a grown man who is clearly angry. Did they really think he wouldn't be doing some cursing? I don't think this is a big deal. I call my friends queer all the time and I have friends who are gay that do the same. All about context...
PS: I am a Celtics fan so it is rare for me to defend Kobe...
Is there really any question about its legal status?This isn't about the legality of Kobe Bryant's gay slur.
As to the fine, at first glance it seems outrageous. However, given the money that Kobe's prob'ly pulling in, must take a whole lot of money to get his attention--which I think was the NBA's goal. But w/o numbers and a whole butt ton more info, I don't know if I agree with the precise amount or not.This is simply a debate as to whether or not you agree the fine was appropriate, and whether you think what he said was a big deal or if it is being blown out of proportion.
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant fined $100,000 for directing homophobic slur at ref - ESPN Los Angeles
This isn't about the legality of Kobe Bryant's gay slur. This is simply a debate as to whether or not you agree the fine was appropriate, and whether you think what he said was a big deal or if it is being blown out of proportion.
At least Kobe still has his job. If someone at, say, Exxon-Mobil had done that, he would have been fired. Kobe should be thankful that this is all that happened to him.
I think the fine was appropriate.
I would say that even if he said spick, greaser, taco bender, beaner, wetback, nigger, redneck, kike, himey, WOP, dego, mic, cracker, honkey, gook chink, slope, dink, raghead, camal jockey, sand-nigger, peter-puffer, jigaboo, porch monkey, spade, moose lip, blue gum...shall I keep going?
Keep going, or not, he should have been smacked with a 100 grand fine.
I'm honestly tired of political correctness in this country...As an aside, a few weeks ago there was a campaign by a student group on campus to eliminate the word "retard" from speech. I was like, seriously?
Saying "faggot" is not an issue of political (in)correctness. Using terms like faggot, nigger, wetback, etc, are beyond the realm of political correctness.
That said - I agree that he likely wasn't using it as a gay slur at a gay person. Nonetheless, he represents the Lakers and the NBA, neither want to be associated with that kind of negative press. I think his fine was appropriate.
On a side note, I use retarded all the time and I hate it when people tell me not to say it because not only does it get the point across, it has a nice sound to it.
I agree the fine was appropriate, not disagreeing with that. However I wonder if the result would have been same would have happened had he used a generic insult (rather than a slur), or if he hadn't been caught on camera.
Probably not - but generic insults do not denote a sense of prejudice that I assume the NBA doesn't want to be associated with. Even if he didn't mean it to be offensive to gay people, the term still links homosexuality with stupidity or lameness and still implies homophobia or prejudice. Calling someone stupid or a moron doesn't denote either. It's less about political correctness (the difference between saying black/negro and African-American). It's more about prejudice and its negative implications.
Kobe is much more valuable to the NBA as a player, than as an ex-player. He knows it, and the League knows it. It's all about the bucks, buddy.
The thing is, every insult, when you get down to the true meaning of the word, is going to insult SOMEONE. Would saying the word "retard" denote some sort of prejudice towards the mentally handicapped (or whatever we're supposed to call them these days?) How about if he had called the referee a "bitch?" Does that mean Kobe holds some sort of prejudice towards female canines? What if he had said "*****?" See what I'm getting at?
Sure every insult will insult someone and many are based in prejudice. However, the difference between things like bitch, retard, ***** etc. and faggot, nigger (said by a white player), wetback, etc. is that even though the former can be or are based in prejudice (against women, mentally handicapped, whoever), they have become mainstream in such a way that their link to prejudice is much less sharp.
Put another way - when someone says ***** or retard, there isn't a straight link to prejudice because both words have become an integral part of colloquial language to the point that although the prejudice is there, we think of them more as standard insults like stupid or lame. When someone says faggot, it's automatically homophobia/prejudice. It's that obvious, unavoidable link to prejudice that makes the difference. That's how I see it.
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